Gandhi's Passion

this kind of unscientific view of things is too readily

accepted by a large sectionof our countrymen," Gurudev Tagore announced.10Bihar's Dr. Rajendra Prasad, who had just been releasedfrom prison,worked round the clock to help save those most severelyburned andwounded. Prasad's selfless quake relief work first broughtthe name of India'sfirst president to national prominence. Though many urgedhim torush to Bihar, Gandhi refused to cancel his Harijan tour. "Iam tied to Biharby sacred ties," Gandhi replied. "Perhaps I am serving herbest by remainingat my post."11 He then repeated his belief that thecalamity was God's"chastisement" for the "grave sin" of untouchability."Visitations likedroughts, floods, earthquakes and the like, though theyseem to have onlyphysical origins, are, for me, somehow connected withman's morals."12Pacifist Muriel Lester now came to India, and visited herfriend thegovernor of Bengal, after meeting with Gandhi. She wasinvited to dinewith the governor but failed to get him to commit resourcesto Bihar. Shethen went to see the viceroy. By late February, Gandhidecided to alter hisHarijan tour itinerary so as to visit Bihar before going toBengal. Murieljoined Gandhi on his tour of Bihar in mid-March 1934.

1Agatha Harrison,who was also a leader of London's Quakers, reachedBombay two dayslater, and journeyed directly to Bihar to tour with them.Gandhi addressedBihar's Central Relief Committee in Patna, after visitingseveral centers ofdisaster. "Let us, in the face of this calamity, forget thedistinction betweenHindus and Mussalmans as well as between Indians andEnglishmen," hetold them. "We are going to work not as Congressmen butas humanitarians... in a humane task."13Gandhi now found it more difficult to sleep as this tourcontinued, risingat one in the morning instead of three. "Please do not getalarmed," hewrote Brother Vallabh. A gang of angry, high-caste Hinduthugs had justrecently attacked him as he was getting into his car, badlydenting the carwith stones. He narrowly escaped that assault, after whichhe decided toleave the temple town of Puri and its vehicular travel,venturing off on awalking tour of rural Orissa, alone with Mira and just a fewothers. He enjoyedthis pilgrimage on foot, along village paths and tribal jungletrails."We are camping in the open air on the outskirts of thevillage. A hut-likestructure has been put up for me."14 He knew, of course,that as soon as the"rains set in" this method of touring would prove moredifficult, if not impossible.

2He was ready then to "camp" in the hinterland, finding itmuchmore congenial to his passionate, aging temperamentthan the hustle andbustle of urban life.In mid-June, Gandhi and his followers all returned by trainto Bombay,where Muriel and Agatha awaited him to say good-byebefore sailinghome. Mira then impulsively decided to join the otherEnglish ladies.Gandhi's first letter to his departed beloved began: "It wasa chilly parting.[ 176 ]